Borgogno Barolo Riserva 1978 1x75cl

This winery dates back to 1761. One hundred years after it’s founding, Borgogno Barolo was served at an official banquet presided over by Garibaldi celebrating the unification of Italy. More recently the wine appeared in one of the Godfather movies. Tradition is the watchword here. Typical vineyard practices would include green spring pruning, green harvesting to allow for better maturation of the remaining fruit and a final manual selection during harvest. The vinification is of the traditional method; crushing and de-stemming, fermentation on the skins with a long maceration that allows for best extraction of complex tannins and pigments that, together with alcohol and acidity, are fundamental factors for long aging. Fermentation is a long and laboured process, involving plenty of skin contact and pumping over of the cap. The wine is eventually left to age in oak barrels of varying sizes and ages (never new) for 2-4 years depending on the characteristics of the vintage.

This is classic old nebbiolo. Tar and roses, with no significant signs of browning. The fruit is ridiculously fresh and red-coloured with just some leafy underbrush elements giving this bottle’s age away. The ripeness here is lovely too; it gives this a sweetness that supplements the acidity and tannin very well. 93CT